They fix the rudder?

They were pelted with wooden shoes and told to go away?

The French surrender?

You would have thought they would have learned their lesson when they attempted to hijack a Russian warship, last year.

Either they have balls of steel, or are just stupid beyond words.

Not that pirates deserve any better, but where were these warships when waters off the Somali coast were being overfished and used as a garbage dump?

The Dutch drew derogatory cartoons of them?

tripperday: Not that pirates deserve any better, but where were these warships when waters off the Somali coast were being overfished and used as a garbage dump?

They was doin' a garbage run and gone fishin', duh!

If the pirates aren't detained for prosecution - and most are not - they are disarmed and put back out to sea on one craft.

Translation:
They're stripped and forced to walk the plank.

Dutch?

They put them back on a single craft and set them free? WTF is up with that? Sink the bastards and leave them, the sharks will thank you.

what exactly are the rules in international waters when it comes to Pirates and Illegal boarders? I mean it might sound harsh, but wouldn't the warships be within their rights to just shoot the pirates and dump them into the ocean? Might not be politically correct but I bet after a few dozen of their buddies washed up on shore, the rest of the Pirates would think twice about keeping the same line of work.

why aren't they killed on the spot? isn't piracy punishable by death?
/chum the water then blow up the boats...

Meatschool: They put them back on a single craft and set them free? WTF is up with that? Sink the bastards and leave them, the sharks will thank you.

This is what I would do, but I'm sure the UN or someone would have a shiatfit. At least they had the balls to fire warning shots, that seems to be more than most nations are willing to do.

DiamondDave: Dutch?

PFFFFFFFFF.

This sentence...

The EU Naval Force attacked 12 groups of pirate vessels, which normally includes several skiffs and a mother vessel, this month, more than last year.

...feels very awkward to read. Could someone with a better grasp of English tell me if the problem is with me or the article?

Nothing you can't mop up with a few bursts from a MK15 Phalanx CIWS.



/hot like depleted uranium

That'll teach 'em to start a pissing contest unarmed.

Hilarity ensues?

Ha Ha! The ship was full of brave and hearty Danes. Not the weaker dutch lads.

/Hot like LuAnn on the rebound

Alfunk: what exactly are the rules in international waters when it comes to Pirates and Illegal boarders? I mean it might sound harsh, but wouldn't the warships be within their rights to just shoot the pirates and dump them into the ocean? Might not be politically correct but I bet after a few dozen of their buddies washed up on shore, the rest of the Pirates would think twice about keeping the same line of work. steal their shoes and go back out to sea.

They disarm them and let them go? Gee, what a deterrent.

Why don't they shoot all but one of them? Next headline will read "Piracy attacks drop to 0."

Screw with the Dutch, you get the rudder.

Did they paint thier yoo-hoos gold?

FTA: "There are few other job prospects in the impoverished nation, "


Other? Does that imply that being a pirate is a valid "job" option?

Alfunk: what exactly are the rules in international waters when it comes to Pirates and Illegal boarders? I mean it might sound harsh, but wouldn't the warships be within their rights to just shoot the pirates and dump them into the ocean? Might not be politically correct but I bet after a few dozen of their buddies washed up on shore, the rest of the Pirates would think twice about keeping the same line of work.

Short answer: it is complicated and the Dutch did what they could. They fired warning shots, pursued them, destroyed the raiding craft, and took away all their munitions. Had the skiffs really engaged the warships, the warning shots would have been replaced by BOOM headshots.

I think this route was more effective, though, because it makes future raids more difficult by taking away their expensive tools (RPGs, AKs, whatnot).

/submariner
//had a different evasion strategy

Meatschool: They put them back on a single craft and set them free? WTF is up with that? Sink the bastards and leave them, the sharks will thank you.

They didn't mention if the pirates were left with any water, supplies or clothing.

animal900: This sentence...

The EU Naval Force attacked 12 groups of pirate vessels, which normally includes several skiffs and a mother vessel, this month, more than last year.

...feels very awkward to read. Could someone with a better grasp of English tell me if the problem is with me or the article?

Pirates are organized into groups. Each group has a central "mother ship" that acts as a base for several smaller vessels.

The EU Naval Force took out 12 such groups.

animal900: This sentence...

The EU Naval Force attacked 12 groups of pirate vessels, which normally includes several skiffs and a mother vessel, this month, more than last year.

...feels very awkward to read. Could someone with a better grasp of English tell me if the problem is with me or the article?

It is somewhat awkwardly worded. It's saying that they have attacked 12 pirate ships this month alone (and that each has several skiffs), which is more than they attacked over all of last year.

"they force pirates to find new vessels and weapons before they can launch more attacks."

Shouldn't be too difficult. They ARE pirates after all.

fappomatic

The CIWS is an automated anti-aircraft and anti-missle, purely defensive weapon. It's not used for taking out water based targets.

ThrobblefootSpectre: FTA: "There are few other job prospects in the impoverished nation, "


Other? Does that imply that being a pirate is a valid "job" option?

Yarr.

Most of the hundreds of Somalis who are in prison on piracy charges are in Kenya, which has 18 convicted pirates and 107 suspects on trial, Cole said. They are also imprisoned in the semiautonomous northern Somali region of Puntland, in the Seychelles, Maldives, Yemen and Somaliland.

Somalia....next door to Kenya!!! (new window)

tripperday: Not that pirates deserve any better, but where were these warships when waters off the Somali coast were being overfished and used as a garbage dump?

If the piracy was really all about fishing abuse by the international fleet, wouldn't the pirates only attack fishing boats?

I don't know about garbage dumping, but most of these poor country are their own most pollution contributing factor near their shores. Even those that have more government than Somalia.

And is it just me or the headlines has nothing to do with the article.

If the pirates aren't detained for prosecution - and most are not - they are disarmed and put back out to sea on one craft.

Where they simply get a new boat, buy a couple AK's at the local market for 10 bucks USD, and head back out.

They need to sink these asshats permanently instead of just toying around with them.

fappomatic: Nothing you can't mop up with a few bursts from a MK15 Phalanx CIWS.

Why does the radar dome have so many handholds on it? Are ordinary humans expected to lift the top off of that thing when they service it? It must be heavy as hell.

Something something dutch rudder?

animal900: This sentence...

The EU Naval Force attacked 12 groups of pirate vessels, which normally includes several skiffs and a mother vessel, this month, more than last year.

...feels very awkward to read. Could someone with a better grasp of English tell me if the problem is with me or the article?

It should read "The EU Naval Force attacked 12 groups of pirate vessels, which normally include several skiffs and a mother vessel, this month, more than last year."

the lunatic fringe: fappomatic

The CIWS is an automated anti-aircraft and anti-missle, purely defensive weapon. It's not used for taking out water based targets.

I'm sure there's an FC on Fark that can weigh in but I was under the impression that a CIWS will fire on everything that gets a return from its fire control radar, and that operators can set or eliminate "floor" as a safety exclusion.

Like I said, though I am a bubblehead and am remembering stuff from Middie cruise 12 years ago.

meh...this WAS almost news when it happened days ago!

NutWrench: Why does the radar dome have so many handholds on it? Are ordinary humans expected to lift the top off of that thing when they service it? It must be heavy as hell.

Removable panels (like the side access and the upper dome) have handles on them for removal. The others are steps/handholds for climbing up to do work through those removable panels. At least, that's how it looks to me, and it is how NAVSEA likes things to be built.